A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 - Retro Review)
1984 - 92 mins. - Rated R
D: Wes Craven
C: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, Johnny Depp, Nick Corri
Group of teens are slaughtered while dreaming about a child murderer who was burnt to death over ten years ago by their parents.
Frustratingly overrated horror "classic" does have one of the most original film premises of the 80's, but the execution doesn't match the originality of the premise. Starts out well enough with an atmospheric set piece and some genuinely scary touches in the introductory dream sequences, but quickly falls apart after the first act. A Nightmare on Elm Street never fully takes advantage of the limitless possibilities it could have explored from a creative standpoint. There is no play on dreams versus reality as the viewer is all too aware of when the characters are dreaming. There is no psychological elements. There is no depth to the Freddy Krueger character.
D: Wes Craven
C: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, Johnny Depp, Nick Corri
Group of teens are slaughtered while dreaming about a child murderer who was burnt to death over ten years ago by their parents.
Frustratingly overrated horror "classic" does have one of the most original film premises of the 80's, but the execution doesn't match the originality of the premise. Starts out well enough with an atmospheric set piece and some genuinely scary touches in the introductory dream sequences, but quickly falls apart after the first act. A Nightmare on Elm Street never fully takes advantage of the limitless possibilities it could have explored from a creative standpoint. There is no play on dreams versus reality as the viewer is all too aware of when the characters are dreaming. There is no psychological elements. There is no depth to the Freddy Krueger character.
- 7/17/2011
- by Big Daddy aka Brandon Sites
- Big Daddy Horror Reviews - Interviews
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